From Valentine’s Day to World Read
Aloud Day on March 6, this time of year is all about spreading the love—love of
reading, that is. Teaching our kids to become skilled readers early on is key
to ensuring their success in school and life. This is as true in America as it
is in Nepal, Mali or any other country for that matter. Why? Because education
is one of the most viable pathways out of poverty.

That’s why Save the Children,
through our early childhood education and school-based programs, strives to
help disadvantaged children around the world, including right here in the
United States, develop and grow as readers. The results speak for themselves! In
America alone, 69 percent of participants in our literacy programs showed
significant improvements in overall reading ability and the number of those
reading at or above grade level more than doubled by the end of the school
year.

Here, some of our once strugglingreaders from
the United States and Nepal tell us how their newfound love of the written word
turned them into young bookworms.

“I love reading because you can learn many things in a book. You can even learn how to build a hamster home!” –Kori, 7, Point Pleasant, WV

“When I read, my grades will be better. Being able to read helps you read stories. When you can read, you can become anything you want. I like Nepali stories. My Nepali textbook has many stories and poems. My favorite poem is ‘such a pretty sun, such a pretty shadow, the two play together in the ground.’ I think this poem is very nice.” –Umesh, 3rd grader, Nepal

“I love to read because the pictures and stories help me to imagine that I am somewhere else!” –Nevaeh, 7, Landers, CA

“I like to read because there are new adventures all the time. Fiction is my favorite, because you can get inside the adventure.” –Brandon, 11, Lobelville, TN

“I think reading will make me smart. My father
brought a book for me from Qatar. The storybook is in two languages, Arabic and
Nepali. It’s about a teacher who teaches Arabic. My father reads the story to
me.” –Anita, 1st grader, Nepal

“The more I read, the faster and better I can read. It helps me to get better grades.” –Orlando, 9, Shaw, MS

“I
like reading because when I grow up I want to become an engineer or a teacher.
My favorite book is DhungakoKhichadi
(Stone Porridge). I like stories about old men and women.” –Bijay, 3rd grader,
Nepal

“Reading can take you on exciting adventures.” –A.J., 8, Maury City, TN

“I want to be a veterinarian and reading is helping make my dreams come true! I already work at the zoo and reading has helped give me the knowledge I need to do my job well.” –Dedra, 16, Lobelville, TN (former student in Save the Children’s U.S. school-based program)

“I love reading, because if I read a book and I see the movie, for instance, Harry Potter, I can compare them. They usually leave out details and skip scenes in movies. Books have more details.” –Lauren, 11, Morongo Valley, CA

“I love to read books because it’s the only fun thing I can do.” –Patrick, 10, Morongo Valley, CA

“I read because Nana says I got to. It is fun and I learn my ABC’s from books.” –Emilee, 3, Jackson, KY

Meet Alicia, Jurnie and Savannah, three bright-eyed, all-American girls daydreaming of what they’ll grow up to be some day. Alicia, 11, from New Mexico, is the oldest of the three. She aspires to own a home and a business one day. Jurnie is an 8-year-old from Nevada who loves to care for people and wants to become a nurse when she grows up. Savannah, also 8, lives in Kentucky. She adores animals and dreams of becoming a vet. Living thousands of miles apart, these girls may never cross paths, but their road to success has one detrimental obstacle in common: poverty.

All three are from dwindling small towns in rural America, where, according to the latest Census report, one child out of four lives below the poverty line. Alicia is from a sleepy, poverty-stricken village, which counts a small convenience store among its only sources of income. Jurnie lives with her grandfather and younger sister in a low-income community of 800 some residents on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And in Savannah’s remote hometown more than a third of the population, including her own family, is poor.

The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to historic highs. Bearing the brunt of this crisis are 16 million kids, the highest number since the War on Poverty began in the early 1960s. This means that more families than ever are scrambling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. For children like Alicia, Jurnie and Savannah, growing up poor in America means having your dreams, however humble, stolen from you.

Like most children living in poverty, the three girls are falling behind educationally. When she started fifth grade, Alicia was reading at the level of a second-grader. Jurnie comes from a financially struggling, unstable home environment and often has to endure long stretches of time without seeing her parents. This lack of stability and support has led to frequently missed school days and poor performance in class. While eager to learn, Savannah scored poorly on reading assessment tests and her school didn’t have the resources to provide her the extra help she needed to work through the challenges and succeed.

Kids who aren't learning and advancing in school are likely to remain in poverty as adults. To protect America’s future and security in the face of historic childhood poverty rates, we must invest in our children. Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty through education and health programs designed to help kids in some of the poorest parts of the country overcome barriers that stand in the way of their dreams.

We helped Alicia, Jurnie, Savannah and thousands of other children who know all too well what it means to go without. After going through our education support programs, all three are now able to read at grade level and continue to make great strides toward academic and future success.

This is the third post in our "Love to Read"series which highlights fun and educational books that will help your child develop into an avid reader! Be sure to check back later in the week for recommendations for older children.

Latest findings by the American Educational Research Association reveal that a student who can’t read at grade level by third grade is four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than his reading-proficient peers. Practice makes perfect, so help keep your child’s reading skills on track through regular reading sessions. Here is a list of 10 recommended books you can enjoy together:

Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Looking for other ways to spread the love? Get your limited-edition Valentine's Day cards and support Save the Children’s education programs in the United States. Learn more about our Love to Read, Read to Live campaign

This is the second post in our "Love to Read"series which highlights fun and educational books that will help your child develop into an avid reader! Be sure to check back later in the week for recommendations for older children.

Did you know that less than half of children under 5 are read to every day by a family member? Ensure your little ones get their daily dose of reading with these 10 expert-recommended book selections:

Best Friends by Charlotte Labaronne

How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Mine! Mine! Mine! by Shelly Becker

Sharing How Kindness Grows by Fran Shaw

Sunshine & Storm by Elisabeth Jones

I Accept You as You Are! by David Parker

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

I’m in Charge of Me! by David Parker

I Love it When You Smile by Sam McBratney

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Looking for other ways to spread the love? Get your limited-edition Valentine's Day cards and support Save the Children’s education programs in the United States. Learn more about our Love to Read, Read to Live campaign.

This is the first post in our "Love to Read"series which highlights fun and educational books that will help your child develop into an avid reader! Be sure to check back later in the week for recommendations for older children.

Reading to your children can start soon after birth. The simple act of reading aloud as you flip through picture books with your infant or toddler is a shared activity that not only helps create a closer bond between you, but also boosts your child’s language and cognitive development. Get your newborn bundles of joy off to an early reading start with these 10 picks:

Mine! A Backpack Baby Story by Miriam Cohen

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

Sail Away by Donald Crews

Nuts to You! By Lois Ehlert

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury

Pots and Pans by Anne Rockwell

Jungle Walk by Nancy Tafuri

Looking for other ways to spread the love? Get your limited-edition Valentine's Day cards and support Save the Children’s education programs in the United States. Learn more about ourLove to Read, Read to Livecampaign.